Beyond the Moving Castle
by carp-ish
Summary: This story picks up where Howl's Moving Castle left off, following the lives of Sophie, Howl, and all their friends as the couple tries to decide what they're doing with their lives. Howl/Sophie romance, with other pairings as well.
1. In Which the Residents of the Castle

**DISCLAIMER**: I do not own any of the characters of Howl's Moving Castle or the world that DWJ created. The first line is an exact quotation from the end of Howl's Moving Castle, added only to give a sense of where exactly this story starts. Howl's comment, "Sophie strikes again" is also a direct quotation from HMC.

A/N: I know DWJ wrote a sequel to Howl's Moving Castle called Castle in the Air, but I didn't really like it for a variety of reasons, so I decided to write my own. Constructive criticism is greatly appreciated. This is very much a work in progress and my first fanfic.

* * *

"Besides, it's raining out there in Market Chipping."

* * *

Chapter 1: In Which the Residents of the Moving Castle and Their Guests Get Ready

"It is?" Martha asked devastated.

"The Mayor must have already canceled the Midsummer's Day Dance," Lettie replied, comprehending the reason for Martha's exclamation.

"Well, we could have a celebration of our own tonight at my mansion," Fanny said after a few minutes, "But it'll be very last minute, so don't expect too much," she added.

"Oh no, Fanny, we couldn't impose on you like that. I'm sure you must have your own plans for Midsummer's Day," Sophie exclaimed.

"Nonsense, dear! After a day like this, we all have a right to celebrate. Besides," she added, "Mr. Smith is out of town for business in the north. I had hoped to get together with a few friends, but most of them have connections in Kingsbury and left days ago."

"Mrs. Smith," Justin responded in the most courtly voice any of them – except Howl and Ben – had ever heard, "it would be our honor to attend such a celebration. Ben and I owe so much to you all, we couldn't possibly stay away.

So it was decided. Fanny went ahead with Mrs. Fairfax to get her mansion ready for the celebration. Both women were a little disappointed though, because they knew that on _such_ short notice, especially on such a big holiday, their plans couldn't possibly be as grand as they would have wanted.

* * *

The Hatter sisters agreed to return to Cesari's in the hopes of finding one of Lettie's dresses that would fit Sophie.

"Anything Lettie has will definitely suit Sophie better than that grey dress, though it is rather fine," Martha commented as they walked down the drizzly street.

"And hopefully the two of us can change into our own clothes," Lettie said to Martha. After they had switched places, Lettie and Martha never exchanged their belongings and still wore each other's clothes. As they began to look more like themselves again, they realized that the need to exchange their clothes also became more obvious: Lettie's dresses dragged a little more everyday on Martha, while Martha's dresses continued to shrink and currently only reached Lettie's ankles.

"I should have brought your things, Martha," Lettie added ruefully. "It's just that Wizard Howl's invitation to visit you, Sophie, came so unexpectedly and so early this morning, we had just enough time to get ready and leave!"

After a few moments of silence, Lettie asked, "You won't really be staying longer with that dreadful man, will you?"

Sophie sighed and tried to explain to Lettie, as she had earlier tried to explain to Fanny, that Howl really wasn't as bad as he pretended to be. Lettie was significantly harder to convince. Martha tried to help Sophie, having heard good things about Howl from Michael.

"Michael's nice, but a little stupid. I can't say I would trust his judgment," Lettie said curtly.

"You're one to talk! Who was it that was in love with one of the stupidest farmer's sons for two whole months last summer?! He used to get lost around town all the time, and he's lived in Market Chipping his whole life! And that Percival fellow! Though he did turn out to be parts of Wizard Suliman and Prince Justin, he seems to have been made of their most dimwitted parts! All he did was follow you around and fawn over you!" Martha lashed back.

Lettie blushed and furiously made biting remarks in return. After the two girls bickered for a while over the relative idiocy of all their previous paramours, Lettie, remembering the beginning of the argument turned to Sophie and said seriously, "Sophie, the man is dishonest and unfaithful. He even tried to court _me_! You don't honestly think that he might actually be loyal to you! I thought you were the most sensible of us all!"

There was little Sophie could say in response to that. In a few short sentences, Lettie had voiced all of Sophie's own concerns but this was something she was going to resolve on her own. In her defense, she said, "He has his heart back now. I'm sure he'll be different in that respect at least."

The finality in Sophie's voice was enough to stop Lettie from continuing her criticisms for the time being, but she still wasn't convinced. The three girls had also just arrived at Cesari's and so walked in silence to Martha's room. After Lettie and Martha changed, they waited in the hallway while Sophie tried on Lettie's second best blue dress.

Martha then said calmly, "If you won't trust Michael's judgment, well that's one thing. But at least trust Sophie's."

Lettie didn't have a chance to respond because Sophie opened the door just then.

"That color doesn't really suit your hair either, but it'll have to do. Lettie's other dresses would be much too plain and they all look a little worn," Martha sighed. Sophie knew that she could ask for Howl's assistance with mending the clothes, but being something of a tailor herself, she preferred doing things in the natural way.

"I'll have to hold the skirt while I walk. Lettie is just so tall!" Sophie responded. "You two look much better," she added. The deep rose outfit Sophie had made for Lettie really did look best on Lettie. It was almost as if the dress had more presence on Lettie; the rich colors had made Martha's fair skin look washed away. The pale green dress Martha was now wearing complimented her blonde hair and small figure.

After they finished getting ready, the three girls decided to walk around the town square as Sophie related some more of the events of the past month and asked them about their respective apprenticeships. They excitedly talked about Lettie's impending move to Kingsbury to study with Wizard Suliman.

* * *

Meanwhile, Ben and Justin seemed to relax significantly as soon as Fanny and Mrs. Fairfax left. The only people around them now were some simple country people that they probably would never see again and Howl, who understood the ways of the court. Fanny, being the finest person there, was the only one they really had to be courtly and polite around.

Ben began to inspect Howl's door and asked, "How do we get to Kingsbury and back quickly from here, like you do?" Howl had never explained the Moving Castle to members of the court, but it was known that he could travel between distant places faster than anyone else.

"Well, that's not really possible any more," Howl responded calmly. He was waiting for a heated argument, from what he knew about the personalities of Suliman and the Prince.

"What do you mean we can't get to Kingsbury from here? How on earth do you do it, Pendragon?!" Justin demanded.

"Well, I got rid of the mechanism that connected my castle to Kingsbury. I needed a little break from the court," he added lightly with a laugh.

But Suliman and the Prince were in no laughing mood. It took all their self control to remember what Howl had recently done for them, and they couldn't possibly lash out at him right now.

"Ben, how long will it take you to get us there?" the Prince was on the verge of a breakdown.

"Several hours, unfortunately. We'd never make it back in time, Justin."

"Even if they aren't nobility, they're still very wealthy, and we can't attend any celebration dressed like _this_!" Justin exclaimed hysterically.

"This is a little much," Ben agreed, then quickly added, "Now, Justin, just calm down." He was equally dismayed, but a little more rational than the Prince. "I'll make us some disguises, and we can go to a tailor's shop in Market Chipping. I'm sure they'll have some ready-made suits; we'll get the best we can find, and I'll alter them magically as best I can."

Fortunately and unfortunately for them, the Hatter sisters had left through the flower shop to go into town just at the beginning of this conversation. Thus, Sophie, Lettie, and Martha had not witnessed this embarrassing scene and still respected the two vain gentlemen, for which Ben and Justin would be grateful later. At the present moment, though, they regretted the girls' absence as they would be the ones who best knew which shop to go to.

It also slowly dawned on them that because they had agreed to attend Fanny's celebration, they would have to stay the night in Market Chipping. Neither of them particularly liked small towns.

"Buy clothes in such a small town! Most of the shops are probably closed today! And they won't have the soft satin that I like and the intricate stitching. It's the details that count, after all!" And so Justin continued, while Ben magically disguised them both and dragged the petulant prince onto the drizzly street.

"… and of course it has to be raining! My hair will just puff up awfully!"

Howl understood their grief, but was still astonished at such a public display, "_That_ was a little much. I can't imagine what it must be like being in a relationship with that man. I don't know how Suliman does it."

"You're one to talk," Calcifer shot back. "Is everyone at court like this?" Now that everyone was gone, he was back to making his usual criticisms. Michael agreed with Calcifer, but would never admit it, especially because the Prince was involved in this situation.

"Grandeur is very important," Howl responded nobly in his defense. "As Mrs. Pentsemmon used to say, a discerning eye for detail is important in everything that one does." He then walked to the bathroom to improve his own appearance. He lamented the remains of both his suits as he painstakingly tried to magic them back to respectability.

Seeing that the blue and silver suit would need a good deal more time to mend, he set to work on the grey and scarlet suit. He had noticed the mysterious, powerful charm sewn into the seams of that suit after he had made Sophie return the pieces to him but hadn't had much time to think about it at the time. As he looked more closely at it, he realized what exactly that charm was for and remembered a few embarrassing days of almost everyone he met flirting with him, including complete strangers and people who didn't particularly like him. _Where could this strong little spell have come from?_ he thought. _It certainly hadn't been on the suit when I had worn it before Sophie mended it. _After another minute of thinking, he muttered with a laugh, "Sophie strikes again."


	2. In Which Calcifer begins a Journey

Chapter 2: In Which Calcifer Begins a Journey

With nothing else to do, Michael changed into the velvet plum suit Howl had bought him and chatted with Calcifer, who was still complaining about the rain in Market Chippng.

"We could go out to the place with flowers, if you want. I don't think it's raining out there." Calcifer perked up at the sound of this.

"So this is the edge of the Waste?" he asked as soon as they were out the door. "Nice place. I bet you can see all the stars out here."

Michael looked up at the sky, but it was still only late afternoon. After a few minutes, he asked, "Calcifer, are you going to leave?"

"Of course!" Calcifer declared. "I've been waiting for this day for years! Even as a star, you're still fixed in the firmament; you don't actually go anywhere until you fall, and there's nothing pleasant about that."

"I'll come back and visit," Calcifer added, thoughtfully.

Michael shook his head, as if resolving something within himself, and then said smilingly, "I look forward to hearing your stories."

"Why? Don't you want to travel?"

Michael thought about it. He'd grown up in Porthaven and was now living in Market Chipping. From time to time, he had visited Kingsbury and parts of the Folding Valley. He had also gone to that other place called "Wales." All of them seemed pretty much the same to him, except for Wales, which was remarkably different. Nevertheless, from what he had seen, people were the same everywhere, even though they might dress, speak, or live differently.

"Not really," he said after a few minutes. "Isn't every place just like every other place?"

Calcifer looked at him in surprise because he simply couldn't understand Michael's complete disinterest. "You're a strange boy, Michael," he said after a few minutes.

"There's lots of people who don't travel, and everyone settles somewhere eventually. What's so strange about that?"

Calcifer said nothing in response and they began to respectively walk and float down different flowery lanes. From time to time, they would stop to examine some strange plants they encountered. Calcifer's favorite was a strange little flowerless plant with a large bulb at the top. The bulb was usually open, and then it looked like a mouth without a tongue or teeth. Whenever any kind of bug landed on it, the bulb would snap shut and shake about as if it were "chewing." Caclifer cackled wildly each time this happened.

"Have you ever seen anything like this, Michael?"

Michael shook his head.

"I wonder what it's called and where it comes from."

Finally, Calcifer resumed floating next to Michael and they continued to explore the flowery lanes. A little later, Michael said, "Well, Calcifer, we'd better head back."

"I'm going to go to the Waste. See if I can find the Witch's castle and maybe find something interesting there," Calcifer responded.

"You're not coming tonight?" Michael asked, a little surprised.

Remembering how crowded and overwhelming things had been earlier, Calcifer responded, "The Waste seems much more interesting to me."


	3. In Which the Dinner Begins

Chapter 3: In Which the Dinner Begins and Sophie Learns about a School

Michael returned to the castle alone. The Hatter sisters seemed to have returned a little while back and were sitting at the bench.

"You look beautiful," Michael said stunned.

Martha giggled and, as she was getting up to meet him, said, "You look good in that suit, too." They sat together on the ground by the fireless hearth.

Howl emerged from the bathroom, smelling like lilac and looking like his usual sparkling self. Sophie, noticing Howl's choice of the grey and scarlet suit, asked, a little startled, "You're wearing that suit?"

"No thanks to you. My other suit needs a good deal more mending," he responded. "Which I'll take care of on my own," he added quickly.

After a minute, Howl said, "On second thought, I had better make this one a little less fine." He remembered the earlier scene with Suliman and the Prince and, much as it pained him to wear something drab, didn't want to offend the Prince with his finery. With a wave of his hand, the sparkling red embroidery unstitched backwards to the edges of the suit and deepened to a blackish red while the silk rewove itself into a coarser but still fashionable linen and the grey saturated into a pale green-grey the color of lamb's ear. Next, he shortened the sleeves, and, because of the change in fabric, he fitted the loose pants and jacket.

Martha gasped in wonder, and even Lettie was awed by how easily he cast so many spells at once. Michael was too, but to a lesser extent as he had seen Howl perform such tricks many times before. He never understood though, why Howl insisted on buying such expensive clothes when he could just as easily buy cheap ones and make them look magnificent on his own. The pleasures of shopping were entirely lost on someone as practical as Michael who, after all, only owned one fine suit and one or two casual outfits for daily wear.

Sophie was impressed that Howl had actually modified his clothes to something simpler, instead of outshining them all with his extravagant clothes. She was also a little horrified. Folding her arms, she asked, "If you're doing that now, then what on earth were you doing for the last hour or so?"

"Putting together those seven pieces you so rudely hacked, and," he added smugly, "removing a certain charm that a certain someone found it so necessary to add."

Sophie blushed faintly and, defending herself, retorted, "It wasn't intentional. Besides, you could have noticed that sooner."

"People don't usually expect tailors to curse the clothes they mend."

"That charm hardly could have been a curse for _you_."

Striking the most dramatic pose he could, with one hand supporting his weight as he leaned on the back of the chair by the hearth and the other hand resting against his forehead, Howl responded in his noblest voice, "You wound me, Sophie. You mistake me for an unfaithful lover, as you have done many times before. But I assure you—"

Both Sophie and Lettie, though with very different intentions, were ready to cut him off, but a knock on the door just then prevented them from speaking as well.

"Yellow down," Howl said, in place of the absent Calcifer as Sophie got up from the work bench. Two men with vague features were standing outside. Even when Sophie tried to focus on their faces, it was as if their bone structure kept shifting ever so slightly, making it impossible to remember what exactly they looked like.

Understanding Sophie's confusion, Ben immediately removed the spells.

"I apologize; we simply wanted to disguise ourselves when we went out to find nicer clothes and reserve a room in an inn. We thought it would be better to greet the King first, after all."

As the two men entered the room, Sophie examined their new clothes. Clearly, they had bought the most extravagant suits they could find from the most expensive tailor in Market Chipping. In fact, she wondered which shop sold such clothes that surpassed the finery of the wealthiest families in town. Prince Justin's suit was made of the softest satin she had ever seen. It was blue-violet the color of twilight with a double weave pattern. When he moved even slightly, the colors shifted as well, truly imitating the sky at dusk. After the ornate clothes she had seen in Kingsbury, she imagined that a truly creative tailor with greater means might have carried the metaphor further and embroidered that suit with small sparkling jewels sewn in with silver thread. Wizard Suliman wore a blue-grey cotton suit. If the suit had been made of silk, it could have looked like the sea before a storm. Both had been fitted much the same way Howl had modified his suit. Sophie realized that the looser cut that Howl usually wore required the finest fabrics and the discerning eye of an expert tailor. The fabric had to be free to move and breathe and the cut had to be precisely adjusted to the man's body. Too loose and the clothes would look baggy; too fitted and the shape of the suit itself would look awkward.

She understood then why Howl had simplified his grey and scarlet suit. She was certain that a tailor in Kingsbury had already done something as fine as she had imagined, if not finer. Howl's suit must have been bought at such a shop because something so detailed and extraordinary could never be found in a small town like Market Chipping.

* * *

Now that their motley party had more or less assembled, they had nothing to do but wait for Fanny's carriage. Martha and Lettie marveled at the Prince and Wizard Suliman's clothing. Hearing a knock at the door, Howl opened it orange down and was greeted by two footmen. The group walked out to meet Fanny and Mrs. Fairfax, who were standing near a large carriage a little further down the drive.

They arrived at Fanny's mansion fairly quickly and were directed into the lavish drawing room by the butler. Michael, Martha, Lettie, and Sophie carefully assembled themselves on Fanny's velvet covered sofas and chairs, while Justin, Ben, and Howl, used to this kind of finery, sat down leisurely. Justin and Ben sat next to each other on the small sofa closest to the seats Fanny and Mrs. Fairfax had chosen. Sophie, Howl, and Martha sat on the couch perpendicular to Justin and Ben, and Lettie and Michael chose the two remaining chairs opposite them.

Soon after their entrance, servants began bringing in platters of the finest fruits of the season, a variety of cheeses, and punch. The conversation progressed in a polite but awkward manner; in such company, even those who knew each other well had little they could say. During a natural lull, Lettie took the opportunity to thank Wizard Suliman again for offering to take her on as a pupil.

"It really is an honor for Lettie to study with you. I'm sure you can teach her so much more than I ever could, and she's got a knack for sorcery, after all," Mrs. Fairfax said, joining Lettie in her thanks.

"I look forward to working with you, Ms. Hatter," Ben said with a smile.

"Do you have many apprentices?" Martha asked.

"Not very many, and I had to send them to study with other magicians when the King ordered me to get rid of the Witch of the Waste. I should probably take on a few more."

"You should come teach at my school!" Justin implored in a voice, which indicated that he had been trying to convince Ben for a long time.

"What sort of school are you opening?" Sophie asked, really curious. She had always regretted not being able to continue her education, but, even if Mr. Hatter hadn't died, she knew that she wouldn't have been able to. She had graduated from school that year and that school offered the highest level of education anywhere in Ingry; anyone who wanted to study beyond that started an apprenticeship.

Justin began explaining in detail what he had in mind: "I have been talking with Ben for a few years now about these 'universities' they have in his land. A most ingenious creation – allowing those who choose to, to study more! Indeed, I think education is too little pursued in this country – something that my…brother, the King, does not spend enough time thinking about!

"I had wanted to start one for many years, but, alas without a model, I had no idea how to construct such a school, what should be taught, and by whom, who should be allowed to attend, how the expenses should be covered…" he continued to list a number of other concerns, and then, getting back to the point, "– until I most fortunately started getting advice from Ben.

"It should have opened already, but with both of us missing for so many months now, and the King caring as little as possible about it, the building has probably been left half finished and dusty. But as soon as we return to Kingsbury, we shall continue to pursue this. I hope to have it opened within the next year. In the mean time, we want to get the word out about this institution and start accepting applications."

This topic was one of the few that they could all talk about easily and still be interested in. The conversation continued much less awkwardly than before. Justin continued describing the university in his effusive manner, with help from Ben, and paused to answer questions from by the rest of the party. Everyone relaxed into more comfortable positions. Martha began twiddling her thumbs, and Howl spread his arms over the back of couch in a leisurely manner. Fanny stopped making subtle adjustments to her hair and jewelry every few minutes, Justin rested his arm casually on Ben's shoulder, and Michael slouched slightly.

The housekeeper informed Fanny that dinner was ready. Somehow, Fanny's servants had managed to prepare a feast, despite the short notice. There were countless side dishes, including puffy rolls in the shape of clover leaves, salty tarts filled with red onions, goat cheese, and basil, and a light salad with boiled green beans and arugula. The main course was a spicy meat dish, marinated with honey and citrus juices. At the end, the servants brought in exquisite desserts. There were a variety of small pastries made of chocolate mousse, luscious cream puffs, and éclairs.

Everyone marveled at the abundance of fancy food. Fanny, Mrs. Fairfax, and the servants at mansion must have been very busy for the last few hours. Sophie, Michael, and Howl were especially grateful because they usually had little other than bacon and eggs or bread and cheese. Eventually, the dinner conversation evolved into a discussion of Kingsbury. Those that had been there described the capital to those that hadn't, and Lettie became more and more excited about going there soon herself.


	4. In Which Sophie Announces Her New Plans

Chapter 4: In Which Sophie Announces Her New Plans

By the end of the dinner, all of Fanny's guests were full and pleased.

"Fanny, thank you so much, I really enjoyed seeing you again," Mrs. Fairfax began. She launched into a ten minute discussion with Fanny, every now and then mentioning that she and Lettie should really be going back to Upper Folding.

When it was her turn, Fanny immediately responded, "Oh no, Annabel, you must stay the night at the mansion! You couldn't possibly head back to Upper Folding _now_. You wouldn't make it back until very late tonight, and it would just be exhausting! Stay here for the night. You can go back in the morning."

"Fanny, really…" The two women debated for a long time, intermingling their discussion with gossip and other tangents. Finally, they decided to go with Fanny's plan of Mrs. Fairfax and Lettie spending the night at the mansion. Really, neither Fanny nor Mrs. Fairfax could have hoped for anything otherwise. They saw each other so rarely as it was, especially now that Fanny had moved out of Market Chipping.

"Martha, you should stay the night too. You too, Sophie. You three girls haven't seen each other in ages," Mrs. Fairfax added benevolently.

"I have to be back at work at Cesari's early tomorrow morning," Martha sighed.

"I'll take her back, on my way back to the Castle," Sophie said quickly and firmly, before any other suggestions could be offered.

Justin and Ben took this pause to announce that they too would be returning to Market Chipping for the evening. Before Fanny could try to stop them, Ben interjected, "We already made reservations at an inn in Market Chipping. Thank you so much, but we really ought to return to Kingsbury as soon as possible tomorrow morning."

"Thank you, once again, all of you, for everything you've done. And thank you for this fantastic celebration, Mrs. Smith, Mrs. Fairfax," Justin added.

Fanny arranged for a carriage to take everyone back to the Moving Castle. From there, Michael walked Martha back to Cesari's, while Ben and Justin thanked Howl and Sophie again.

"You plan on returning to Kingsbury with us tomorrow, don't you, Pendragon?" Justin asked.

Howl had thought about it and decided that the prospect of getting paid for his work overpowered his aversion to the various court functions celebrating the return of the Prince that he would have to attend. He also had some business he wanted to discuss with the King: now that Suliman was back, there was no reason for Howl to continue to hold the post of Royal Wizard.

"Yes, can you meet me at the castle tomorrow morning? The Waste is probably closest to Kingsbury."

"Of course, of course! Well, we should be off and let you rest. Until tomorrow, then," Justin said. Suliman cast a disguise spell on both of them and they stepped out into the street in Market Chipping. The rain had finally let up and the town was still bustling, trying to enjoy the last remaining hours of Midsummer's Day as best they could.

Though both Ben and Justin had wanted to return to Kingsbury as soon as possible, they were generally pleased with the evening's celebrations. Ben was looking forward to teaching his new pupil: if what Mrs. Fairfax had said wasn't too exaggerated, it seemed like Lettie would be a very promising student. Justin was pleased to leave such a good impression on the wife of one of the most important business men in Ingray. Although Sacheverell Smith was not nobility, he was part of the emerging class of newly rich who primarily made their money from trade. Mr. Smith had strong connections in High Norland which could be useful considering the imminent war – the current situation of which Justin wasn't even sure about.

"It's good to be back," Ben said, suddenly. "I wonder just how much we've missed."

"Yes, it is." Justin decided to stop worrying about whatever problems his brother might have created during his absence and simply enjoy his first evening back with Ben. Despite the mediocrity of the inn, the two men spent the night pleasantly, finally together after their long separation.

* * *

Now that all the guests were gone, Howl sank into the chair by the hearth and looked like he wasn't going to move. This was mostly out of habit; before Sophie came, he would usually end his day relaxing in that chair while talking to, or rather arguing with Calcifer. A minute later, he realized that Calcifer had left earlier that evening.

"I wonder where Calcifer's gotten to?" Howl asked.

"I wonder that he's not tired after everything that's happened today," Sophie said, sitting down at one of the stools near the work bench.

Howl sighed and said, wallowing in self pity, "There's no rest for the weary. Going to Kingsbury tomorrow will be a bother. They'll make me attend every court celebration in honor of the Prince's return. I probably won't make it back here until sometime next week." Sophie didn't know much about the court, but if it was anything like the stilted and long winded conversations with Prince Justin and Wizard Suliman, she could see why Howl didn't want to go back.

After a few minutes of silence, Sophie said suddenly, "The Prince's university sounded interesting. I think I'm going to apply."

"Why would you want to do that?" Howl hated admitting that he did generally like his university days. Instead, he would only recall the long busy periods of studying and writing papers and taking exams that kept him from doing the fun things that he had _really_ wanted to do. And besides, going to university usually meant… Howl did not like the way this conversation was headed.

"Well, Howl, I need something to do. Sitting in the flower shop all day does get a little boring."

Howl was seriously becoming concerned about Sophie's implications with all this. "I thought you'd study sorcery with me! You have such a natural talent for it."

Sophie had considered this option, but she had always been the type of person that liked many different kinds of things. Ever since she had been young, Sophie had enjoyed reading, and in school, literature and history had been her favorite subjects. Political history was her particular favorite but, since she wasn't related to any nobility, she had never had the chance to learn about current politics beyond the gossip that passed through the hat shop. Her school hadn't offered any sorcery classes, and while she had always been curious about it, she had previously assumed that she wouldn't be good at it, as the eldest of three. All the tasks that she had been doing for the last few months – trimming hats, cleaning, cooking, sewing, arranging flowers – were merely hobbies, not things she could picture herself doing for the rest of her life. After all, a few months ago, she had set out to seek her fortune. Her recently developed courage wasn't about to let her stop here, without exploring what shape her fortune might take.

"The university seems like a good way to explore my options," she replied, "and Kingsbury seems like a nice town. I'll be able to see Lettie, too."

Here it was. The words Howl was afraid of. He started so violently he almost fell out of the chair. "Sophie, you're planning on leaving me?! After all this! You can't be serious!"

"Howl, I'm not planning on leaving. Besides, you can visit me."

Ignoring the first part of her response, Howl whined, like a petulant child, "No I can't! Kingsbury is so far from here!"

"But since you're Royal Wizard, you'll have to open up an entrance to Kingsbury again, won't you?" Sophie was trying to stay rational, but she was beginning to lose her patience with Howl.

"I'm resigning tomorrow! That's the only reason I'm going to Kingsbury at all!" Howl was so genuinely frustrated he was being bluntly honest – a state only Sophie could bring him to, after all.

Now it was Sophie's turn to be appalled. His comments earlier that day, when they were returning from the Witch's castle, had implied that Howl generally only _acted_ the irresponsible coward. "Howl, you're just running away from responsibility again!"

"You don't know everything, Mrs. Moralizer." Howl was being pinned down – inaccurately no less – and he hated every second of it. He glared at Sophie, but the look wasn't nearly as horrifying, now that he had real eyes and not eyes like glass marbles. Realizing Sophie wasn't about to let this argument go and was waiting for him to continue, Howl sighed angrily and, releasing his glare, stormed out of the chair, towards the stairs.

"That's right, just slither out, like you always do," Sophie muttered, sending a stabbing scowl through his back. The line was familiar to both of them.

Howl had half a mind to turn around and defend his good name. But, Michael sauntered in from the flower shop, just then, whistling merrily. He took one look at the scene and, rushing up the stairs past Howl, said, "I'll be going to bed now."

"So will I," and Howl continued his angry ascent.


	5. In Which Howl Speaks with the King

A/N: Sorry for the delay!  
As a homage to TheS's story "A Woman True and Fair," I decided to use TheS's name for the King of Ingry (Roland). It's a great story and if you haven't read it yet, you definitely should!  
Also Thanks to everyone who left reviews: **Lunasphere**, **Whispering Lotus**, and **BC**.  
The comments are really appreciated! Please review!  
And finally, I'd like to thank my Beta for helping me figure out/decide on some major plot points in this story (like the war).

* * *

Chapter 5: In Which Howl Speaks with the King of Ingry

The next morning, even though Sophie had woken up rather early – the sun was just rising – it seemed Howl had woken up even earlier. Sophie was just stepping out of the bathroom after washing her face when Howl emerged from the yard with his arms full of shaped metal. _Howl must have gotten up very early indeed_, Sophie thought. He was clean shaven, smelled like lilac, and his suit had resumed its grey and scarlet splendor, though, currently, the sleeves were tied back out of his way.

Sophie got a better look at the mass of metal and saw that it was all carefully connected into a contraption that looked like a latticework dome covering a base made of mirrors – almost like a cage. The crisscrosses of the latticework were uneven, and she saw several visible jagged edges, as if the metal had been melded together too quickly. This was not the careful work of a blacksmith. It seemed as if its creator could have cared less for the metal: that was not that point. It didn't seem to be too heavy, just an awkward shape, especially because it was only a little shorter than Howl himself.

It looked like Howl wanted to take the mess outside, so Sophie moved towards the castle door herself.

Seeing her, Howl said, panting, "Purple down. Thanks." Sophie opened the door and helped him maneuver the mysterious device through the door and into the place of flowers. The rising sun caught at the mirrors and reflected orange and yellow light over the dew covered flowers.

When they finally managed to get the entire piece through the door with the mirror "floor" level on the ground, Howl leaned against it and untied his sleeves.

"Before you ask," Howl repeated the familiar line, "this is for the transport spell, back to Kingsbury." Sophie nodded, admiring the crude but captivating beauty of the transportation device.

After a few minutes of silence, Sophie teased, "You're up so early after a day like that? That's unusual. From the look of you, you must have woken up very early indeed."

"I was thinking, last night, that it amazes me how we were able to defeat the witch and her fire demon at all," he replied offended in an overtly dramatic way. "That we were actually able to cooperate for that along. Yet the same day, you were already picking a fight with me. And it continues." She smiled, and he lamented, more seriously, "Today, I have to return to Kingsbury with the Prince and Wizard Suliman." After a pause, Howl said quietly, looking into the distance, "Do you want to come? You might find out more about the Prince's school if you do."

Sophie caught his eye and continued to joke, "Maybe I'll find out something that won't convince me to apply, you mean?"

Howl glared at her, but added lightly, "At the very least, you'll get proper credit for your own share in finding the Prince and Wizard Suliman and defeating the Witch and her fire demon. We don't have to tell them about the parts that you complicated."

Sophie laughed, but said, a little sarcastically, "And perhaps I can help blacken your name to the king."

"No, I'll pass."

"Why? Did you have a change of heart last night?" Sophie asked pointedly.

"No, I _don't_ want to keep the job and considering your record, I'd probably get lifetime tenure if you talked to the King." Howl replied with the barest touch of irritation in his voice.

Now it was Sophie's turn to glare, but she decided to let Howl be, for the time being at least. He seemed to be giving her the same courtesy. Instead, she said, heading back to the castle, "We should get some breakfast. But without Calcifer we can only have bread and cheese, unless you think we'll have time to start a fire."

Howl frowned, how dare Calcifer abandon him like this! (He'd had to take a cold bath that morning too, being too tired to heat up the water on his own). They would have to discuss that whenever Calcifer decided to return; setting some basic rules only seemed fair.

* * *

Michael joined them for breakfast, and, when asked if he'd like to accompany them to Kingsbury, he readily declined. He'd been to the capital enough times to know that he would just be bored all day, and he knew that another time, Howl would probably _make_ him go as a stand-in servant, anyway.

"Well, I think we can make due without a 'servant.' There'll be so much going on anyway..." Howl trailed off in thought, then added, frowning, "But, Sophie, we'll need to do something about your clothes..."

Sophie, who still had Lettie's second best blue dress opened her mouth to argue that she didn't need or want Howl's help in that matter, fearing he'd buy her some extravagant lace and silk again when Howl, cutting her off lamented, "We won't have time to do any shopping though..."

Sophie sighed in relief, but just as she was about to say Lettie's blue dress would do for the time being, Howl broke in, "I guess I can just alter that watered silk dress from last time for the time being." He eagerly summoned the dress out of air and promptly began working on it before Sophie even had a chance to catch her breath.

"Howl, really now that's unnecessary," she was able to say at last, as the dress brightened into a bright elusive green, matching the shifting shades of the moss in the place of flowers and the lace trim darkened to an almost black green.

"We can't have you looking unfashionable and outdated in front of the court and the king," Howl replied curtly when he finished, dropping the dress and lace shawl neatly into her lap.

Sophie eyed the finery again and asked critically, "What exactly do I have to do?"

"Why nothing at all," Howl said with a grin that Sophie wasn't sure she could trust.

"I suppose I better get dressed before the Prince and Wizard Suliman arrive," Sophie sighed.

* * *

Justin and Ben arrived later that morning and the four of them went out to the place of flowers. Howl began etching a five pointed star in the ground with a stick around the transportation device. He conjured a packet of powder and sprinkled a little in each of the points, using the rest to surround the transportation device. Then, Howl opened the low door to the device and carefully stooping, stepped inside to test it. Oddly, despite the latticework, none of the others could actually see him inside, though he could see them very clearly magnified, as if he were looking through a telescope at all of them. Raising his arms, Howl muttered some words and the seemingly empty cage lifted into the sky and moved forward a few feet, disappearing as it did so. Satisfied, Howl released the spell and the cage was before them again on the ground. Howl motioned the others to join him.

Ben, who until then had allowed Howl to proceed on his own out of respect, offered help with the transportation, knowing how hard it would be to traverse that distance with so many people. Howl readily accepted and explained the nature of the specific spell he was using – a slight variation on the commonly known transportation spell.

As soon as Sophie stepped in, she thought of the layer of nothing that the castle door, black down, opened to. Although she could see and feel everything very clearly, there was still the feeling of nothingness, as if she herself were made of the nothing. She watched in awe as the scenery blurred by below her. It was a faster version of running with the wind Howl raised, but she kind of wished that they could go slower so she could admire the view. Sophie would have never imagined that a transportation spell would involve flying; she had just guessed that it would be an even faster version of the seven league boots. But the other three were used to this type of magic and didn't seem at all surprised or amazed.

* * *

When they were finally in Kingsbury, Howl and Ben released the spell in front of the old stable entrance to the castle and hid the transportation device in there. It was now early afternoon and the streets were mostly empty, as people hid from the glaring sun inside houses and shops for the midday meal and rest. Soon, though, a crowd gathered as windows and doors opened and rumors spread through town that the Prince, the former Royal Wizard, and the current Royal Wizard had all reappeared. By the time they made it to the castle, the guards were ready and expectant on the castle steps and so were able to hide their surprise at seeing the Prince again behind their impenetrable faces. The servants were already bustling inside, getting ready for the anticipated celebrations.

The King and Queen were poised in the throne room when the four travelers entered. The court had also quickly assembled and was bursting with energy, waiting at the sides of the room.

Howl, leading the group, made a low bow in front of the throne and said in a courtly voice that Sophie hadn't thought him capable of, "Your majesties, I present to you Prince Justin and Wizard Suliman."

The celebrations began with a cheer from the court. Stepping past the wizards, the Prince walked up to the King who had also stepped down from the throne to greet his brother. After a quick embrace and a few quiet words, King Roland ordered a hearing with his brother, Wizard Suliman, Wizard Pendragon, and the mysterious woman they had brought with them. _She looks vaguely familiar_, Roland thought. _Is she related to someone I've met?_

Sophie, who had never been much given to spectacles and crowds, was looking timidly at the splendor around her – the gold carvings, the mirror paneling, the crystal chandeliers, the bright jewels magnificently set in gold bracelets and silver necklaces and platinum earrings, and the yards and yards of silk, satin, velvet – every expensive fabric she could think of – all trimmed with lace. She had seen the court once before, yet it was so different hiding in its shadow and being the object of its attention: she wanted to back away into a wall. She caught a glimpse of the Count of Catterack and it seemed as though Jane Farrier, also wearing fine clothes but in her customarily peculiar way – a magenta colored satin dress with a bright yellow pattern embroidered over it and a turquoise blue lace shawl – recognized her. Feeling a little less nervous, she reprimanded herself, _No, no, remember what you've learned. You're no different now, even if you are young again_.

At the King's summon for a private hearing, Howl stepped beside Sophie, offering her his arm. He had half expected this reaction from her, but he simply grinned at her, laughingly and knowingly, and winked. She glared into his green eyes, begrudging him his ease in this situation. The pair walked behind the King, the Prince, and Wizard Suliman, who had already begun retelling their part of the tale.

* * *

When it was his turn, Howl retold a modified version of his efforts to look for the Prince. "This is Sophie Hatter, she's... uh... she became mixed up with the Witch of the Waste and ended up helping me find the Prince and Wizard Suliman, as well as fight the Witch and her Fire Demon." Sophie, still feeling a little nervous, curtsied politely and allowed Howl to tell his greatly abridged version of their story.

At last Howl finished and the King nodded, silently trying to take it all in. Finally he beamed, "Well I'm glad to have you both back, Justin, Wizard Suliman. It's a great relief that you're both alive and well and here again, considering the upcoming war against High Norland."

Justin rolled his eyes and sighed heavily. "What exactly has happened since I went missing?" he grumbled.

Instead of responding, the King turned to Sophie and said, "Thank you, Miss Hatter, for your assistance in this matter. I will see to it that you are properly compensated for your efforts. Leave your address with the Chancellor, and we shall work out an arrangement in due time. I hope to see you again at this evening's celebrations." With a wave of his hand he summoned a page and the palace's machinery was in work as Sophie was politely handed from one guard to the next and then onto the palace steps. Sophie only managed a glance at Howl, who was equally surprised by the King's quick dismissal.

Turning back to the Prince, the King responded, "At first, the guards stationed near the border had noticed suspicious activity on High Norland's side. But over the past few months, there have been several raids in villages along the border. Merchants have also reported attacks on trade routes into High Norland. I've met with several ambassadors from High Norland, and they claim that the attacks are by bandits and completely out of their control. And now, Strangia is getting mixed up in this, complaining that all this has been caused by our setting the food export tariff too high." Here the King turned to Wizard Suliman and Howl, "I'm hoping we can surprise them with an attack first, before they do anything serious to us."

Justin sighed angrily and looked away while Ben merely lowered his gaze. Neither of them supported the King's eagerness for using magic in warfare. It was unprecedented and morally reprehensible, since Ingry had agreed to the international pact of relying solely on armed warfare. Justin and the King had argued about this before, but the King's retort had been, "That pact is over one hundred years old. Surely no one remembers or cares. If we don't protect ourselves first, I'm certain someone else will." Ben, thanks to Justin's persistence with the King on this matter, had been spared from doing anything other than helping transport the army and supplies, so far. And Justin could count on Ben as a man of honor who agreed with him on this matter, which was another, secondary, reason he had rushed to try to find Ben before his post was filled by someone else.

Howl used the pause to voice his own reason for returning to Kingsbury at all, "With all due respect, Your Majesty, I am certain that this is a task Wizard Suliman can handle on his own. Upon his return, I was planning on stepping down as Royal Wizard and restoring the position to him once again."

"Surely you will be invaluable to me, Pendragon, for you managed to defeat the Witch and her fire demon where Suliman failed."

"Indeed, that was only with the help of my own fire demon and Miss Hatter, as well as Wizard Suliman's 'golem.' Without these other factors, I surely would have failed also. And as for relying on my fire demon's assistance, he follows no one's whims but his own and is currently absent on his own travels. I regret that I cannot be of greater assistance to Your Majesty."

Justin, who desperately wanted Suliman to keep the job, chimed in, "Also, it seems Wizard Pendragon has, for his own reasons, felt the need to move from Kingsbury. It would be much more difficult to contact him regularly. Though he was able to recover us yesterday afternoon, we had to wait until today to return and still, it took us a greater part of the morning to reach Kingsbury." His color heightened as he spoke, though his voice remained calm.

"Well then, Pendragon, I order you to move back to Kingsbury," the King replied curtly.

Losing his temper, Justin all but shouted, "You fool! You can't force everyone to change their lives on your whim, even if you are King!" The King glowered at his brother but would bicker with him later, in private.

Howl added, calmly, "I am currently unreachable for consistent consultation such as the post of Royal Wizard requires, as the Prince says, but if Wizard Suliman – who, after all, is much more experienced than I am – would like my advice for any reason at all, he most certainly can contact me any time, and I will offer my assistance as best I can. Indeed, moving back to Kingsbury is currently impossible for me," Howl lied through his teeth. "I humbly beg your permission to be removed from this post."

Roland saw he would not win this, as he had already lost Justin's support, but he should have expected who Justinwould support for that post: the man was infatuated. Wizard Suliman had proved himself capable in everything except defeating the Witch. Perhaps what Pendragon had said was true after all—that he would not have been able to defeat her himself either. The story he told seemed to strongly suggest that anyway; but then again, that Pendragon was a slippery rogue who twisted the truth as he saw fit. Well, he was also unreliable, having disappeared without a word before suddenly coming back with the former Royal Wizard and the Prince. Had he dared to return empty handed, he would have been hanged, surely. No, Roland needed someone more consistent and obedient. "Wizard Suliman," the King said sternly, "I reappoint you Royal Wizard."

"I am honored, Your Majesty." Ben bowed deeply

"Wizard Pendragon, consider yourself removed from the post as you requested. You will be properly compensated for your efforts in recovering the Prince and defeating the Witch."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Howl bowed, likewise.

"I hope to see you both at this evening's celebrations."

"Of course, Your Majesty," the two men replied, still bowing.

"Justin, a word with you."

And, just as with Sophie, the two wizards were dismissed, thrown by the palace guards' machinery to the palace stairs.


	6. In Which Sophie Visits a Library

A/N: I'm sorry for the long delay, everyone. I appreciate your support and friendly comments a lot. To be honest, for a while I had thought of scrapping this project altogether, but lately I've found some inspiration in the form of avoiding writing my thesis haha... so expect more soon :)

As always, all characters, locations, etc. belong to Diana Wynne Jones.

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Chapter 6: In Which Sophie Visits a Library

Sophie meanwhile decided to explore the area around the palace. She figured that if she stayed within sight of the palace steps, she'd see Howl walking, or probably sauntering, down them sooner or later. In any case, she couldn't very well stand near the stairs the whole afternoon, especially not under the blistering summer sun of Kingsbury.

She began by walking around the pink marble plaza just beyond the palace steps, but she didn't go many steps before the sweat began dripping down her back: she looked up and the sun was directly above her. Instead, she decided to walk towards the fountain at the center of the plaza where the spray from the water helped cool her. She walked around the massive fountain to get a view of the surrounding buildings and see if she could find shelter from the sun in any of them. Several high-end shops and restaurants lined the plaza along both sides of the palace and just as she was about to make for one of their shaded awnings, she got a full view of the building opposite the palace.

It was grand in a more modest way than the palace and certainly more welcoming. Where the hundreds of palace steps and the marble and gold plating clearly sought to inspire awe in whatever eyes beheld the palace, this building's rows upon rows of open windows – in which Sophie spied rows upon rows of bookshelves – all aflutter with silk drapes seemed to wave a benevolent greeting. It was not very tall, maybe three stories at most, and not nearly as wide as the palace: instead, it was hemmed by two wide flowering lanes on each side. Still, it was said to be the finest and oldest library in all of Kingsbury. Even at the small school in Market Chipping Sophie had heard about the King's library where the rulers of years past would often meet with their advisors – both living and dead – before making political moves and where courtiers' children would spend the greater portion of their youth studying. It was open to the general public as well, but the public generally did not have the time or leisure or interest to frequent it. The current King himself hardly ever took the trouble to leave the palace any more, or so they said, but Prince Justin used to spend long hours in this library before he disappeared.

After having to sell all of Mr. Hatter's books after his death and losing access to the school library, it had been over a year since Sophie had been able to read any kind of history. She quickened her step in the direction of the library, quickly forgetting her resolve to stay in sight of the palace steps. A corner of her mind still nagged lightly but she easily persuaded it by thinking, _Howl can easily come find me. I'm sure he has some kind of location spell_.

The gold-engraved cherry wood door to this simple edifice was wide open as well. As soon as she stepped in, Sophie understood why: this building that appeared orderly from the outside was truly overflowing with books inside. Even with all the windows and doors opened, the smell and feel of books baking in an oversized oven whose temperature was regulated by the orbit of the sun suffused the building. The door opened to a corridor created by rows of bookshelves on each side. At the end of this hall, an old man sat at a desk, absorbed in a history of his own. He looked up as Sophie's shadow darkened the pages he was reading and smiled kindly at the rare new comer. His silver hair was neatly combed on his head, and his dress was meticulous without being ostentatious: he wore a brown silk suit with a pale blue lace trim. Despite the years clearly etched into his face, there was a visible strength and vitality to his frame. His eyes beamed a benevolent hazel.

"I've never seen your pretty face before, child. And whose daughter might you be?" he asked. He had come to the conclusion long ago that truly only noblemen's children ever crossed his threshold. Sophie's finery seemed to confirm this assumption yet again.

Sophie blushed lightly in confusion and answered, "Mr. Hatter, of Market Chipping. But he died over a year ago."

"That is most unfortunate," the man replied, hiding his surprise at seeing a young traveler from so far who did not claim any noble associations. Then, remembering his vocation, he asked, setting his book aside, "Is there anything I can help you find, dear?"

"Oh, no thank you. I don't want to trouble you. I'm merely browsing."

"Miss Hatter, did you know that before the Folding Valley was settled, the entire area was home to a variety of creatures that men only dream of now? Some claim to have seen them up north in High Norland and others say they have caught glimpses in Strangia. It's possible, I suppose, but I've never been to either country myself. But Market Chipping used to be a griffins' resting ground. There are histories of the first settlements of that area upstairs in the back. I can show you the way, if you would like."

The man seemed eager to talk to her. _Almost like Mrs. Fairfax, in that respect_, Sophie thought. She decided she wouldn't mind this old man's chattering company. At the very least, she'd get a better sense of what sorts of things she might expect to find in this library than if she simply wandered around herself. As they walked to the stairs near the back of the library, the man continued to retell a particular story he had in mind that he had read, but now he wasn't entirely sure since it had been so long since the last time he had picked up that particular volume – he had better double check with the sources, and then began on a tangent about the various accounts that he had encountered in his life, their relative accuracy, and which of those Sophie could expect to find in this library. Sophie glanced outside the window near the stairs and saw half a building whose construction seemingly had stopped months ago.

At first Sophie thought to wait until the man reached whatever conclusion he was aiming for, but, recalling some of the most trying moments at Mrs. Fairfax's house where she had tried just that, she decided to trample through the man's narrative, though she did feel badly about it.

"What was this?" she asked looking in the direction of the building.

"Oh," the man's expression changed and his eyes clouded, a little disappointedly. "That was the beginning of the Prince's school. He had in fact purchased the line of shops behind the library to use the land for his new school but, due to his long absence, that building is still only half-finished. The King never saw fit to continue it."

"Do you know more about this school? More about what the Prince was planning?"

"Oh, are you interested in it?" he asked.

"Yes, I just heard of it yesterday from the Prince himself actually. You seem to hold so much knowledge yourself, what are your thoughts on it?" _Finally_,Sophie thought, _I have the chance to get another opinion on the school_.

"Oh, has the Prince returned then?"

"Yes, Wizard Pendragon found him and Wizard Suliman just yesterday, in fact."

The old man, always in the world of the library, often gathered the news at the end of the day, as he walked home. By then, usually, the gossip and the facts had mostly sorted themselves out. But, returning to Sophie's question, he replied, "My knowledge is of a different sort. My mother raised me in these walls because I was the youngest and had no inheritance to speak of. 'My darling, this is all I can give you,' she told me and left me here to fend for myself. But knowledge that is taught has its own advantages. It took me years to learn the values of both – the knowledge that you find yourself and the knowledge that others bestow on you. At the school, if you are astute enough, I think you'll have access to both." He turned away and continued climbing the stairs, "Did you have a chance to study at the school in Market Chipping, dear?"

"I attended until my father's death, but I would have graduated that year anyway. I always wanted to keep learning, though."

"And what do you do now?"

"I, well, I—" Sophie saw no reason to conceal her identity from this man, "After my father's death I lived with my stepmother Fanny and learned how to maintain the hat shop. But a series of events recently brought me into Wizard Pendragon's household—I clean his castle and help maintain his flower shop and soon, I'll probably start taking lessons in sorcery from him."

"So you're interested in sorcery then?"

"Well, I'm interested in many things, among them, sorcery, I suppose."

"Then at the very least, you should study here in this library where you can learn about many different things, certainly more than you could ever dream up in Market Chipping. The school will assist you to the same end, if it opens any time soon, that is."

By this point, the elderly man had led to a specific bookshelf on the second floor and pulled out a book with a green spine that was beginning to come off. Its pages were brown and musty and when the man flipped through it, the smell made Sophie wince.

"This is just what I was looking for. It retells the early part of the history of the settlement of the Folding Valley. Quite a fascinating tale, probably even more so to you as you know better than I what it has become since that time. If you need anything further from me, just ask," he said, handing the thick volume to Sophie and then turned away, knowing full well when a person wanted to be alone with their thoughts.

"Just a moment," Sophie called. "I never got your name."

"Elliot." And without giving a surname, the man continued to walk away down the stairs.

Sophie studied the volume in her hand momentarily, but set it aside to think of the things this brief conversation had brought to mind. Despite the certainty she had shown Howl the night before about wanting to attend the university, she actually had many doubts. Much as she tried to shake off her old way of thinking, she couldn't help but ask herself, _I'm still the eldest of three children. What do I think I'll be able to accomplish?_ This was mixed up with her complicated feelings for Howl, an issue that she had avoided discussing with Lettie earlier. When she was perfectly honest with herself, something she seldom was with regards to this particular issue, she admitted that she did like Howl, at least a little, but it was hard to think of these feelings seriously since she had only met him a few months ago. _And, of course, there's no knowing how long Howl's affection will last anyway_, she acknowledged grimly.

As if her thoughts had cast a spell, Sophie heard a step behind her and turned at Howl's frustrated voice, full of reproach, "Sophie, how on earth did you expect me to find you here of all places? You could have stayed within sight of the palace or at the very least within sight of the many windows of this library that face the palace!"

Regretting her carelessness Sophie replied, "Howl, I'm sorry. I thought you could have used a location spell to find me."

"Yes, I would cast a location spell without access to any of my spells, potions, or devices, which are all back at the castle! Honestly, Sophie! I spent the greater part of an hour, out in the heat, looking for you!"

"I'm sorry, Howl," Sophie repeated, knowing full well that Howl was just looking for pity at this point. "How was your interview with the King?" she asked.

Howl sighed, "Come on, let's look for an inn where we can spend the next few nights. We're expected at tonight's celebrations, and I'm sure we'll have to attend those of the next few days, as well. They'll make us wait at least three days before they remember to pay us!"

Sophie returned the book to its spot on the shelf and followed Howl down the steps to the first floor of the library. As she walked by Elliot's desk, she waved good-bye, and he looked up and smiled.

"Thanks again for your help, Elliot."

"Goodbye, Ms. Hatter. You should stop by more often, Howl," he replied, and then resumed reading.

"Oh, do you know him?" Sophie asked Howl as they stepped into the plaza. Though the sun was lower in the horizon now, it was still wretchedly hot on the streets.

"I spent a good portion of my student days studying in this library," he replied nonchalantly. "I'm starving, Sophie, and it's been a rough day with more trials ahead, to be sure. Let's get something to eat and then head to an inn. Much as I really want to go shopping right now, we'll do that tomorrow."

"But, Howl – "

"There's no doubt that you need some clothes that flatter you for a change!"

"Howl, do you even have the money to do this? I mean, if you're buying clothes for me, I can just make some purchases when I really need them after the King pays me. And if I'm ever in a desperate situation, I can always go to Fanny, I'm sure."

Howl gave Sophie a withering look, as he thought about the first outfit he ever saw her in – an old, dated, and badly worn gray dress and shawl, and this was while Sophie was apprenticed at the successful hat shop under her stepmother's direction. But knowing she wouldn't be won that way, he simply replied, "Consider it your payment for all the times you've maintained and minded the flower shop. You made most of those Midsummer's Day garlands yourself just yesterday."

"But you've let me live in the Moving Castle."

"And in exchange for that, you've assiduously been keeping it spotless… in addition to taking your own initiative to mend clothes and the like – regardless of the results. Besides, Sophie, we don't have much time before the celebrations begin tomorrow night. And you certainly can't go in the artificial dress the entire court saw you wearing today. You need an appropriate evening gown, at least."

Sophie saw that she couldn't argue with this logic and decided to allow herself to enjoy the excursion around Kingsbury.


	7. In Which Sophie Meets the Royal Court

A/N: The thesis I was trying to avoid has effectively taken over my life, hence the late update. That being said, I did actually finish this chapter a while ago, but you'll see it's incomplete in one aspect (I don't describe the shopping trip or its results at all). At the moment, I don't have the energy or inclination to do it, but I would like to progress with this story, so I figured that you guys will forgive the oversight in details for the happy prospect of more to come soon (for real this time - I actually have the next chapter basically done, just needs some revisions).

Enjoy! And thanks again for the supportive comments.

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Chapter 7: In Which Sophie Discusses Her Plans with Jane Farrier and Meets the Royal Court

They spent the next morning frequenting the various tailors and merchants around Kingsbury. The shops were bustling with customers of all types – from courtiers having the finest and rarest clothes custom made to servants and pages being fitted for new uniforms. It was the kind of business shops expected in the weeks leading up to May Day, Midsummer's Day, or any of the other major holidays. But, because of the Prince's sudden return, everyone was still in festive spirit and since Midsummer's Day had just been two days before, all the courtiers wanted new outfits for themselves and their staff to outshine the splendor they had already displayed. The shop owners and their assistants weren't going to complain about the added business.

That evening, Howl and Sophie attended the court dance to officially celebrate the return of Prince Justin. The Royal family greeted them warmly and, after the obligatory salutations, the King motioned to Howl that he would like a private word. Howl felt bad leaving Sophie by herself because she didn't know anyone in court, but he had no choice. After a few formal words with the Prince and Wizard Suliman, who were then swept away by other noblemen, Sophie, once again overwhelmed by the ostentation around her, moved to the side, out of the court's many eyes. Unlike before, she couldn't muster up the courage to face the new environment she was in because now she was expected to socialize in a society that she was completely unfamiliar with. She decided to recede into her thoughts instead.

Again, she reminded herself that she had set out to seek her fortune a few months back. Although a great deal had happened since then, enough to qualify for the fortune she would probably make as the eldest of three, if there was anything she had learned from being with Howl, it was to forget the fairy tale restrictions and do whatever she wanted. Ironically, he had been the one to say "happily ever after," but surely living "happily ever after" meant more than being in a passionate love affair (that she couldn't even be certain of) for the rest of her life. It seemed sorely against the grain to be wasting her newly found courage and her renewed youth being his housewife or some other similar arrangement; she was, after all, only eighteen! No, she needed to find something to do for herself, before she could make any commitments to anyone else, even if it were Howl. In all honesty, she knew that her happiness had to depend on herself more than anyone else, and that depended on what she did with herself. Reluctantly, she admitted to herself that this was the real reason why she had left the hat shop in the first place, because staying there meant settling into a way of life that she was in no way convinced of.

The school really did seem the best option right now. She wouldn't have to rely on anyone for support because, if everything went according to the Prince's plan, it would be fully funded. Just being in a larger place like Kingsbury and meeting more people, that in itself would expand her worldview and help her find other things that interested her.

But what would she do about Howl? If only he weren't so stubborn, he would keep his post as Royal Wizard, and then they could still see each other. She wondered why he wanted to resign, but he always seemed to avoid talking about it altogether. Something more was going on here, but she couldn't figure out what. She'd pin him down to it eventually.

Suddenly, she saw Jane Farrier approaching her. In Market Chipping, they had only known of each other because Jane was a few years older than Sophie and her family lived in a different part of town. The Farrier's ran a restaurant that Jane had worked at after she had graduated from the school in Market Chipping, until she ran off with the Count of Catterack. Jane was a person who never seemed to worry whether she was following the norms of any society, Court or not, and did as she saw fit. If anyone in Market Chipping had been going to run away with a nobleman, it would be Jane and only Jane. Though Fanny had always spoken dismissively of Jane Farrier and avidly engaged in the gossip around her, Sophie had been intrigued by the stories she had heard. When she was younger, Sophie used to think to herself sometimes that someone like Jane Farrier, even if she were the eldest of three, would never have even considered it an inhibition.

"It's nice to see a familiar face," Jane said with a warm smile.

"How are you, Jane?" Sophie asked, still feeling a little shy.

"I'm doing quite well, thank you. Coming to Kingsbury with John, the Count of Catterack, has allowed me to learn about a lot of new things. I've been frequenting the Royal library and I hope to attend the Prince's university when it opens. Have you heard about it?"

Sophie nodded and said, "Yes, Prince Justin was telling us about it yesterday. If you don't mind my asking, do you know what you would like to study there?"

"I've always been curious about the way information is passed around Ingary. Often, it's word of mouth – an official from one town meets another from a different town, and they talk about the changes they've seen in their areas. Then those officials pass this information around their towns and soon it degenerates into gossip. But maybe there's a better way? I've heard stories that in Strangia, they write up the new happenings and post them in town centers for everyone to see and read the original story. Can you imagine this being someone's job – just writing up and distributing this 'news?' It seems like common sense to have someone specialize in this area and yet it's such a foreign concept in most of Ingary. So I'd like to study history, politics, and writing to understand the current happenings as best I can and then write about them so that people, who wouldn't otherwise, can have access to actual facts."

Sophie was stunned by Jane's answer. It seemed like she was planning a life for herself that Sophie could never have dreamed of.

When she finished, Jane asked, "But how are you? Of all the people in Market Chipping, I would never have expected you to be one that I would find in the Royal Court at Kingsbury, let alone you being the one who saved Prince Justin and Wizard Suliman. How did that come about? How did you ever meet Wizard Pendragon?"

Sophie explained, as briefly as she could, her run-in with the Witch and everything that followed. She stopped after she finished telling about how they defeated the Witch's fire demon.

"So what are you going to do now?"

"Well, after hearing about the Prince's university, I'm interested in it but…" Sophie trailed off, not knowing herself what else there was to say.

"But what? What are your other options? Stay in Vale Folding with Mrs. Smith? Or in Market Chipping with Wizard Pendragon? Those both seem a little anticlimactic after everything you've gone through recently."

"Well, I'm not sure that I want to move away, and even if I did, what could I make of myself?"

"That's a reasonable enough insecurity, I suppose, and one that everyone has to resolve for themselves. But, honestly, what kind of life is available for you in Market Chipping or Vale Folding? Is it the people you don't want to leave? But people come and go, and the ones that matter find a way to stay. And regardless, idleness only fosters resentment – that's what I learned staying in my family's restaurant for so many years. If you want great things, you have to seek them out for yourself."

This was the first time Sophie had been confronted with Jane's frankness, though she had heard much about it in the gossip that used to come through the hat shop. But Sophie was too deep in thought to be taken aback by this sudden onslaught of unwarranted advice because Jane's words hit so close to home.

Deciding it was time to change the subject, Sophie instead started telling Jane about her visit to the library earlier that day and asked which histories she would recommend. This topic lasted them through the rest of the evening, and Jane, who was candid but not mean, knew better than to bring up their previous conversation again. When she had a chance, Jane introduced Sophie to John's younger brother, Stephen, who was around Sophie's age and passionate about history.

"So you really helped save Prince Justin and Wizard Suliman? And you met the Witch of the Waste? Weren't you terrified?"

Once again, Sophie told her story. She was interrupted a few times by other courtiers, the rest of the Catterack family and their friends, who introduced themselves to Sophie and then asked her to start again. Slowly, a crowd began to grow around her. It was like a domino effect: once one or two people noticed her, many more began to take interest in this common woman who had rescued the Prince and the Royal Wizard. This sudden change in fashion and attitude was typical of the court. The most frustrating part, though, was that every time someone new was introduced, they had to engage in a long verbal dance to appropriately get through the court formalities, and for a while, it seemed like Sophie was saying a lot without actually saying anything at all. She wondered how Jane, who seemed to be even more straightforward than she was, put up with this obsequiousness that was so characteristic of the court.

After a while, Sophie began to feel overwhelmed again, being the center of attention. She wouldn't have minded speaking with individuals, but when it seemed like half the court had stopped their activities to listen to her story, introduce themselves to her, and then talk about their own extensive accomplishments (an underhanded way of diminishing her own small significance, Sophie realized), Sophie began to understand why even Howl, who loved getting attention, found going to court so miserable.

By this point, the King had finished his conference with Howl, and Howl was searching for Sophie in the ballroom, but kept being accosted by old acquaintances who wanted to hear what he was up to and then were more than eager to brag about what they had done from the last time they had seen each other. Various noblewomen that he would have preferred to have avoided also cornered him in an attempt to renew playful flirtations that, even at that time, Howl had only been remotely interested in. He ran into a few old friends that he was genuinely curious about, to see how they were doing, but those reunions kept being interrupted by other persons Howl could have done without ever meeting again. Eventually, though, Howl was able to make his way to Sophie, despite the growing crowd around her.

"Looks like you've become quite popular around here."

She gave him a withered look, as if to say that she had had her share of socializing for the night. "Yes, Jane Farrier saw me and we started talking. Then she introduced me to the Catterack family. And then they introduced me to a duchess who introduced me to an earl who introduced me to a baron and suddenly, I found all these people around me, asking me about how we defeated the Witch. When would you like to leave?"

Just then, Justin and Ben stopped them to apologize to Sophie for their earlier brusqueness, thank her and Howl again, and invite them to the next celebration on the following evening. This started a long, formal conversation that Howl was clearly trying to slither out of, and Sophie couldn't blame him: she was exhausted from everything that had happened the past few days and could only imagine that Howl was as well. At one point, Justin unexpectedly said to Sophie,

"When I was still enchanted, I heard from your fair sister Lettie that you had all studied at a school in Market Chipping, and I remember her saying that you had been particularly enthusiastic about your education. As I mentioned a few nights ago, I have been planning on starting a university in Kingsbury, and despite the current political complications, it should open soon. Would you be interested in it? I think you would be a most valuable student."

Sophie answered, earnestly, "Yes, actually, I've been thinking about what Your Majesty described and I want to apply."

"Excellent. I'll be sure to provide you more information as the school comes closer to opening."

The conversation continued a little longer, and then Sophie and Howl made their farewells and returned to the inn they had found earlier in the day.

The next morning, to Howl's surprise, a palace official arrived with their compensations for recovering the Prince and the Royal Wizard.

"Less than I had hoped for," Howl lamented, after the official left, "but I suppose I'm not in a position to complain."

"You were able to get removed from your post then? Is that why the King wanted to speak with you privately last night?"

Howl thought back to that miserable conversation. The King had summoned him to try to convince him to resume his status as Royal Wizard. Though he had been able to get out of that, somehow he had agreed to allow Suliman or the King to consult him freely as they needed in the future. Even though Howl had suggested this himself in their conversation the day before, he hadn't actually meant it, of course, and didn't think the King would hold him to it. Later, the Prince and Suliman cornered him, no doubt after the King had informed them of the new arrangement, to say how enthusiastic they were about working with him in the future and how much they would like to consult his vast magical knowledge for any problems they might run into. Which meant he would definitely have to either re-open the Kingsbury entrance or find a faster way to get between Market Chipping and Kingsbury. He wasn't particularly looking forward to figuring out he would manage that, especially now that Calcifer had decided to go exploring, and who knew where he had gone or when he would decide to return. _Maybe it would be a good idea to magically track and contact Calcifer and ask him to return to the castle for a few days at least_, Howl thought. Even with his heart back and the contract broken, it seemed that Calcifer and Howl had still maintained their magical bond, so locating him wouldn't be too much trouble.

But returning to Sophie's question, he merely answered, "Yes, but only after the Prince interceded on Wizard Suliman's behalf. They still want to be able to consult me freely as they need, though." Howl grimaced and seemed to be about to lose himself in thought again.

Sophie interrupted again and asked, "Why don't you want to work for the King? I'm sure it would pay very well."

Howl jumped out of his thoughts and immediately changed the subject, "Sophie, what would you like to do? Do you want to stay in Kingsbury longer?"  
She noticed that he blatantly ignored her question but decided to go along with Howl for now. "Well, don't we have to attend tonight's celebration as well?"

"We can say urgent business called us back to Market Chipping. I mean, unless you really do you want to stay longer?" It was obvious Howl couldn't get away soon enough, but he was trying to take her wishes into consideration too.

Thinking back to the previous evening, Sophie couldn't say that she particularly wanted to try to maneuver through the stilted court society again tonight, or any time soon. And now she really did just want some time to herself, to think things over and, hopefully, have a real conversation with Howl.

"Let's go back."


	8. In Which Sophie and Howl Finally Argue

A/N: Sorry for the delay... I got lazy... But after this, it'll probably be a while because I only have a framework for the next one and this thesis is still looming large. Also, please leave comments. You have no idea how incredibly encouraging they can be.

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Chapter 8: In Which Sophie and Howl Finally Argue

When Sophie and Howl made it back to Market Chipping, they found Calcifer and Michael chatting amiably in the castle.

"It's nice to see you two working, for a change! Are Sophie and I the only ones who do anything around here?" Howl was exhausted and annoyed with how things had worked out in Kingsbury and felt like getting into an argument.

Michael guiltily hurried to the workbench and started fixing the enlargement spell.

"I just got back from the Witch's castle myself," Calcifer bragged. "But I didn't find anything there."  
Howl rolled his eyes and said, "I could have told you as much."

"You could thank me for coming back on such short notice, you know," the fire demon sizzled back at him

Setting his things down on the other side of the work bench, Howl replied impatiently, "Thank you. Hot water, please," and walked into the bathroom.

"Did things go that badly in Kingsbury?" Michael asked, after the door slammed shut.

"I think the King, the Prince, and Wizard Suliman still want to be able to consult Howl freely, even though he isn't officially Royal Wizard any more."

"Oh," Michael shrugged, unsure how this would change things around the castle. Instead, he asked, "What did you think of Kingsbury, Sophie? Other than when you were under the spell, is this the first time you've been there?"

"Yes," Sophie replied. She put her things away in her cubby under the stairs before she sank into the chair by the fire and told Michael and Calcifer all about the royal library and the court.

When Howl emerged several hours later, he opened the castle door purple down and said, "I'm going out to do some thinking," and left without another word.

After Sophie had finished washing up herself, she found the castle empty but for Calcifer.

"Michael went to Cesari's," Calcifer said, looking at her a little imploringly.

"Oh. I'm going to go talk to Howl," she replied, absently. Before Calcifer could complain about being abandoned, she also left.

She had to walk around for a long time before she spotted Howl in the distance. He was kneeling by the edge of the Waste, raising underground water and growing low shrubs.

"Before you ask, it helps me think," he said, without pausing in his work.

Sophie waited a few minutes, and then said frankly, "Howl, I'm going to apply to the Prince's university in Kingsbury."

"Yes, you said that last night." His voice was emotionless, and he didn't turn to look at her.

Sophie sighed, stepping directly into his line of sight, and squatted in front of him, collecting her skirts around her. She touched his shoulder gently, partially to steady herself, but he didn't respond to the contact. "You have to understand," she said, "I'm not doing this to try to leave you. If I wanted to do that, then I would've left already…"

"_That's_ comforting," he muttered dryly, still refusing to look at her.

Ignoring him, she continued, "But, I want to learn things, Howl. I want to find something that I'm as passionate about as you are about sorcery. I want something, I don't know what yet, but I want something that I can do for the rest of my life without getting tired of it."

Howl shrugged. She was being perfectly reasonable, and he knew it – he didn't want to admit it, but he knew it. Finally looking at her, he said coldly, "So what do you want from me, Sophie? Do you want me to cheerfully watch you leave me behind?" He had gotten used to Sophie's being around and their flirtatious banter and even her nagging. Needless to say, he only hoped the relationship would develop further.

"Well, Howl, this isn't entirely just about me and my decisions. You could try to meet me halfway in this." She was at her wit's end, and her tone was a little sharper than she had intended.

Howl couldn't contain his angry and frustrated emotions any more. She was bringing up that dreaded subject which he had come out here to the edge of the Waste for the sole purpose of getting his mind off of.

"I can't move the castle back to Kingsbury or anywhere near it! You don't even know why I wanted to resign so badly!" he snapped.  
"You're right, I don't!" She was all but shouting with frustration at this point. "And I won't unless you tell me, Howl! I have no idea what the King is up to, and he clearly didn't want me to know either, though obviously it's something you find terribly objectionable. But what can be worse than what you've already had to do, defeating the Witch and finding the Prince and Wizard Suliman?"

"Serving the King isn't just about rescuing lost personages, you know. I have no interest in getting involved in a war with High Norland!" Howl tersely yielded his motivation but tried to maintain what was left of his composure a little longer.

Sophie's eyes widened in horror, finally understanding. "You can't be serious. Magic in battle? Surely the King wouldn't be thinking of that…" She recalled the modest-looking man who ruled Ingry. Even during her interview with him as an old woman, she had realized that he was more manipulative than he let on, and it was hard to tell what his true intentions were.

Howl crossed his arms, a little pleased at her hesitation – a sure sign that this conversation was beginning to go his way at last. "So you see, Sophie, I'm not really—"

But Sophie wasn't having that. "Even still, you were cornered into being an advisor to the Royal Wizard."

"Yes, and if I stay sufficiently far away from Kingsbury, they won't be able to consult me," Howl rationalized.

"Do you honestly think you can get the King of Ingary off your back so easily?" she remarked, callously.

"Well it worked when I didn't want to fight the Witch or find Wizard Suliman and the Prince, didn't it?" He was almost petulant at this point: she was poking at the veritable holes in his weak defense and he hated every second of it.

Sophie looked him in the eye meaningly and raised an eyebrow.

"Even if I ultimately did those things, it's not like the King chased me down and forced me to do them," Howl growled angrily.  
"Given more time, he probably would have," she retorted, rolling her eyes in exasperation. "Besides, at that point, he didn't know where you had disappeared to. Now he knows exactly where to find you in Market Chipping, Vale Folding, and by the Waste."  
"So, we'll just move the castle again!" Howl said between gritted teeth. But Sophie knew he wasn't being serious. And she refused to continue this conversation until he started being at least somewhat reasonable again.

After a few minutes of silence, Howl said, quietly, "What would you have me do, then, Sophie? Just go along with the King, the Prince, and Suliman without another thought over the matter?"

Sophie hesitated. There was no good answer to that question.

"Prince Justin or Wizard Suliman, if at least one of them agreed with me, I might have a chance," Howl said softly, almost to himself.

"Chance at what?" Sophie asked cautiously. But Howl wouldn't continue. Instinctively, she said, "You could use your position as an advisor to prevent the King from using magic in war – that's the chance you're talking about, isn't it? Though if the King found out your true motives, you would surely be imprisoned at the very least, considering King Roland's history of punishing dissidents."

She paused, gazing at the hazy outline of mountains behind him, then continued thoughtfully, "I know it's a risk, Howl, but one worth taking, don't you think? Knowing what you know now, that the King wants to unfairly win a war with magic, without caring about the vast causalities that will result, wouldn't you be responsible too if you just ran away from this and didn't do anything to try to stop him?"

Howl looked past her into the Waste. The sun was low on the horizon and the dessert sand was beginning to look grey in the fading light. A hot, dry breeze started blowing gently. Finally, he muttered, "This is why I didn't want to have this conversation with you, because you would force me to the same conclusion that I had already come to and was trying to run away from."

"You can't run away from yourself, Howl," she said, framing his face with her hand. "You taught me that."

Howl looked at her again and sighed. He took her hand in his own and, trying to make light of the whole situation, said wryly, "No, I couldn't have taught you that. I've gotten through much of my life _because_ I've run away from myself for various short periods. That's the key. Even you succeeded in running away from yourself for a time by holding onto the Witch's spell." As he spoke, they both sat back a little more leisurely.

Sophie laughed lightly. "Yes, well after you've had your probationary period of running away from this situation, what do you plan on doing?"

"I'm not moving the castle back to Kingsbury. I wouldn't trust a seven league radius of the capital. If the King is haranguing me everyday, I don't know that even my talent for slithering out will be able to keep me from doing exactly what he wants."

"That's fair," she conceded.

"So, I'll meet you halfway," he joked, throwing her words back at her; she scowled in response. "We can open an entrance near Kingsbury," he continued, "and I'll ask Michael and Calcifer if they have any preferences, unless… do you have some specific place in mind?"

She shook her head. "But to open an entrance, we'd have to close one of the others, wouldn't we?"

Howl frowned because he wasn't sure himself which of the entrances to close. Last time they had moved, Sophie had asked for a big house with lots of flowers, but Calcifer had found the two separately. And he certainly didn't want to move Calcifer and the castle itself again; even if he did have his heart back, it would be far too complicated and risky. Besides, Michael and Sophie wouldn't want to leave Market Chipping.

After some time, Sophie said, "I like it out here, in this garden. Let's leave the mansion. No one's even been in it."  
"But I just renovated it at your whim! All that wasted effort!" Howl lamented, standing up and shaking the sand off of his trousers.

Sophie ignored him, knowing he was only looking for pity, and stood up as well. "We never paid Fanny and Mr. Smith for it, so we can give it back to them to sell properly."

Howl shrugged, thinking she worried too much about minute details like that, and said, "Well, that's more or less settled, I guess. Now I just need to pin Calicfer down to doing this. And I'm sure he'll complain loudly about it."

He started to head back to the castle, when a thought occurred to him. "Sophie, how big was the house next to the shop?" he asked, turning around to look at her.

"A little smaller than your sister's house, I think. There were three bedrooms upstairs and an alcove that connected the living room to the shop," she answered, a little confused.

Howl drew his brows together, thinking. "When we moved, we just set the castle over the house and blocked most of it off. If we're going to the trouble of moving one of the entrances, we might as well try to adjust the castle to this house a little better. Having another room might be good too because of course you can't live in that cubby under the stairs forever and, correct me if I'm mistaken, but I think my small one would be too inhibiting for both of us."

Sophie liked the suggestion.

"I'll need some help from you, though, since you know how the house was setup."

She nodded, still surprised by this sudden plan.

_Good_, Howl thought. _This will give me something to do to take my mind off of everything else_.

They returned to the castle together. By this point, it was dusk, and the air was getting cooler. Michael had also come back from Cesari's, but seeing Calcifer in a foul mood at having been abandoned in the castle, Howl decided to wait until the next day to tell them about moving the mansion entrance and adjusting the castle.

"You could have gone somewhere yourself, you know," Howl said mercilessly.

"Last time I went through Market Chipping, the people on the streets started crowding around me as if they'd never seen a fire demon before!"

"Most of them probably haven't," Sophie admitted.

"And there's nothing to do in the place of flowers, unless I go somewhere," Calcifer whined, "but you called me back to consult me, Howl, so I didn't want to go off somewhere just to have to rush back here tomorrow." Calcifer looked Howl directly in the eye, as if he were itching to get through whatever Howl needed and then continue exploring the world.

"Well, we can discuss that in the morning," Howl replied, avoiding his gaze, and changed the subject.


	9. Which is Full of Princely Problems

A/N: So I was thinking of discontinuing work on this a while ago, as I'm sure many of you realized when I hadn't updated in over a year. But somehow hating my job has renewed my interest in this story. Probably because it's one of the few things I can do right now which allows me to, at least temporarily, forget about all the things that I'm dissatisfied about in my life currently.

Thank you for all the supportive and encouraging comments. To be honest, I haven't read HMC in a few years now and am not nearly as in touch with it as I was when I started this project, so I can't pay the same careful attention to details about the world and characters that I had done previously. At this point, though, this project has turned into something else for me. It was born out of my love for this book that I had read religiously at least once a year - often times more - since I was 12 or 13 and well into my late teens. Now, this is a personal outlet. I hope that doesn't disappoint the HMC fans out there, and I hope the story stays engaging enough to hold your interest.

To answer one commentor's question, however, about Ingary being at war with Strangia in the books, that is indeed the case in Castle in the Air (and I like to pretend that that just never happened). In HMC, however, the King makes a comment that both High Norland and Strangia are about to declare war on Ingary. That being said, I can't remember my exact motivation for going with High Norland, but I think previously I had found evidence enough to convince myself that High Norland was the main aggressor. Or maybe that last part was in my head. :)

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Chapter 9: Which is Full of Princely Problems

Justin awoke with a start. He could feel beads of sweat crawling down his back, but he still had to make sure: he flexed his fingers slowly to confirm that he could sense all of them and that they were in fact his.

This same nightmare had haunted him the previous two nights, since he had been freed from the Witch's spell. He wondered if Ben was being plagued by the same demons, but when he looked over, his lover was peacefully asleep, a slight smile softening his rough features.

It wasn't even dawn yet, but afraid of what he might face if he fell asleep again, Justin decided to take a bath instead. A groggy-eyed attendant, with that magical perception that only loyal servants and close acquaintances seem to have, emerged from the passage that led to the servants' quarters.

"Go back to bed, Eleanor," Justin said gently. "I can prepare my own bath. Thank you."

"Shall I at least take out Master's clothes for today?" Try as she might, she couldn't hide the sleep in her voice.

"No, I can take care of it myself," Justin answered, patiently. "Really, thank you, but go back to sleep. It's far too early for you to be worrying about me already."

The woman bowed deeply and left as silently as she had entered. Justin sighed. They had had this exact exchange the previous morning. He was fond of her; really they were more like friends than master and servant. He had told her many times to address him less formally, but her response had been that the formalities were what she was paid for; the personal interest she took in his well-being – that was their friendship. He knew that her affectionate heart was merely concerned by his long absence and his clearly troubled behavior since he had returned.

He could confide in her, and maybe unleashing the burden of this dream would help him repel it, but for now, he wanted to reflect on his own. It was more than the dream that bothered him. It was everything the dream brought to mind, all the trauma that he was trying to ignore that it forced him to confront.

He still couldn't shake off the horror he had felt walking into the Witch's castle several months ago and seeing Ben's dismembered body scattered around her room like so many scrapped articles of clothing. At the time, he hadn't thought anything could possibly disturb him more than that sight, but he had been wrong. She had placed him under a strong trance and when he had awoken, he didn't know who he was anymore. His mind was empty and yet he had this strange sensation: he knew that he wasn't entirely his own being. Parts of his body were familiar, that even not knowing who he was, he had been able to recognize them. But other parts were familiar in a less intimate way, so completely foreign.

And the same thing happened with his memory. As time passed, he had started recalling vague details – the face of a girl he met, a glimpse of a dark castle in the heather, unbearable heat and sand stretching for as far as the eye could see. But not all of those memories were his own, even at the time he had somehow been able to tell: he remembered most poignantly picking up that guitar in Wizard Pendragon's castle and playing it without controlling his actions, thoughts, or movements at all. On the one hand, it was something of a romantic notion to become so close – literally become one – with the person you love, but in the end, it had been unnerving.

No. More than that. It was utterly self-effacing. He loved Ben, really he did, but he felt like he had been exposed in the most vile and violating ways. He could only wonder what things Ben now knew about him that he had never disclosed to anyone. He himself shied away from thinking about things he had learned about Ben that he had never known and felt like somehow he had defaced him.

He shuddered.

The warm bath relaxed him and Justin started to doze. Again, he was in the Witch's castle, strange green flames framing the entire scene. He couldn't feel any of his body. He saw parts of it in a heap a little ways off: an arm here, a leg there, fingers rolling around the mix. In his dream, the Witch had become ugly and old: wrinkles enfolded her entire being and her back arched like a mountain, with a thin stream of white hair flowing down it. He could hear the old crone muttering in a cracked voice to herself, "No this one is better here," as she re-arranged pieces from his and Ben's bodies. He was transfixed by her work, seeing her combine their bodies was both fascinating and disgusting: he wanted to watch and he wanted to look away. As if she felt his gaze, she turned on him suddenly with a hideous, toothless grin, "We're almost ready for the head," she said mischievously, like a perverted child playing doctor with toys. Then she walked towards him with a knife, her yellow eyes holding his. He watched them get bigger and bigger as she walked closer and closer, daring him to look away. Suddenly, when her eyes filled his entire line of sight, the pupils looked away, up past his eyes to the top of his head.

Just as he felt the cold metal of the knife, as he was about to shout a voiceless scream, his whole body jerked awake. Cold bathwater splashed everywhere.

"Justin? Is everything ok?" Ben called from the other side of the bathroom door.

Pale light was streaming in through the window. _How long did I fall asleep for?_ he wondered.

"Yes, I'm just… uh… just getting dressed… I… uh… I slipped, that's all. I'm ok, thanks."

A few minutes later, Justin emerged fully dressed and a little distraught but trying – and failing – to hide it.

"Is everything ok?" Ben asked again, his brows furrowed.

"Yes, I just… had a bad dream."

Ben frowned, but he could tell Justin didn't want to talk about whatever was bothering him. Instead, he said, "We can talk later, if you want. I need to see what's become of my students in my absence. But we'll meet again before tonight's celebration?"

Justin merely nodded. Ben embraced him tenderly and left.

Justin sighed. Tonight's celebration. That reminded him of a whole host of other problems he had to think about. Roland wanted to speak with him today, again. Probably wanted more "counsel" that he wouldn't listen to anyway. And tonight, he wanted to see if he could get Wizard Pendragon alone and obliquely find out his opinion on what Roland was demanding of them all. He needed to know if he had a friend or a foe in the man because this was a risky enterprise. Being Prince was a sufficient safeguard for him, but Ben would be in real danger if their attempts to thwart Roland were discovered again, especially because now it directly concerned the war. Being sent to "search for the Witch in the Waste" had been just a warning. The next time, Roland wouldn't be so roundabout with his punishment.

Well, he had some time until his meeting with Roland. Having just survived that nightmare twice in one morning, Justin wasn't feeling up to being surrounded by attention in court, besides he would have enough of that in tonight's celebration. Maybe going shopping would improve his mood.

On his way out, Eleanor handed him a folded note. Justin scanned the scant lines several times, trying to find another meaning.

"Urgent business!" he scoffed, putting the note in his pocket and stepping onto the terrace. That man ran a serious risk, snubbing an invitation from the Prince. But no, he wasn't Roland; he refused to manipulate situations and people by calling on his noble status. The woman – what was her name? Hatter or something – he didn't particularly care about. The invitation to the university had merely been out of politeness. She seemed a timid little thing that had somehow gotten mixed up in an affair that was larger than probably she could fathom and certainly larger than she could measure up to. Wizard Pendragon's story seemed to confirm that her involvement had been purely circumstantial. But Howl Pendragon, he was a force to be reckoned with and for some reason, it seemed, he was running away.

Well, two could play this game, and Justin wasn't about to be bested at it. During his days at court, Howl Pendragon had been known to be elusive and a fine talker, but after all _his _time at court, Justin knew how to manage that type. Maybe the woman would be useful after all. Yes, Sophie Hatter. She seemed to be intimate with the wizard, and Justin could use the university as a way to contact them both. With that in mind, Justin decided it would be best to return to the palace to consult the attendants who had been in charge of the plans for university.

By midafternoon, they had to renew the contract with the architects who had been in charge of building the school and contacted all the prospective teachers again to confirm their interest in those positions. In the upcoming weeks, Justin would meet with all of them to finalize the courses they would teach, any special needs they might have for those courses, and the broader areas of study those courses would be part of. He would also begin selecting the committee that would review applications. His hope was that within three months' time the school would be up and running. Just as he was returning from a meeting with his father's personal advisor, whom he had wanted to teach politics, Eleanor informed him that the King required an audience immediately.

Roland was in the war room, of course, with his three so-called "advisors." Two of them were blood-thirsty, power-seeking courtiers who would do anything for a chance to sit closer to the throne. The exception was a young man Justin had forced Roland to include in his inner circle, the Count of Catterack. Of course, when Justin had disappeared in the Waste, Roland had gotten rid of the Count of Catterack as fast as he could, by having him search for Justin.

"Good Afternoon," Justin said, trying to be pleasant.

"Welcome, Prince, it is a pleasure to see you," the Duchess of Folding was the first to great him with one of her treacherous smiles.

"You are well, Duchess?"

"But of course, Your Majesty," she responded, feigning coquetry. "Though those boors in High Norland. They've been attacking merchants crossing the border of Marsh Folding for trade."

"Oh?" Justin cocked an eyebrow. "But I heard those are bandits attacking."

The Duchess hid behind her fan. "That is yet to be confirmed," she said discreetly.

"Bandits! That's just a tall tale!" chimed in the Earl of Mont, whose earldom bordered both High Norland and Strangia. "They're getting arms ready across the border!"

"What have the ambassadors said?"  
"You can't trust _them_," Roland said dryly. His cronies laughed.

"I think if we set the food export tariffs lower, there would be less tension between Ingary and Strangia at least, though I'm guessing High Norland as well," the Count of Catterack cut in, passionately.

"Nonsense! Ingary must look after itself first. How will our farmers and entrepreneurs flourish if we just give the food away?" Roland replied.

"But…" Justin gave the Count a meaning look to silence him. For as intelligent as the Count of Catterack was, he had a knack for getting himself into trouble because he didn't know when to be subtle.

"So what would you like to do, Roland?" Justin asked bluntly, getting under his brother's skin because he so hated to be addressed informally in public.

"I want to attack them first! What can Suliman conjure in the way of magical weapons by the end of the week?"

"This certainly is short notice," Justin remarked.

"Well, that rogue Pendragon can help him." Suddenly, Justin was grateful that the wizard had removed himself so quickly.

"Unfortunately, the Wizard Pendragon was called on urgent business back to his home in Market Chipping."

Roland shook his head angrily "When can we reach him? We need this immediately!"

It had become apparent to Justin even during their conversation the day before that Roland had only been waiting for his return to begin acting on the war, since Justin was a much better tactician and head general of the national army of Ingary. Justin decided to use his position there to his advantage now.

"Roland, whatever magical device Wizard Suliman and Wizard Pendragon can conjure for our benefit, we can't implement it without having the army in place first. I've been gone so long, I need to assess the current situation along the border with High Norland. Let me speak with the regiments that had been stationed there before my absence. Once I have a better understanding of the situation, we can determine the best place to attack and mobilize the army to follow the magical onslaught."

Roland frowned, but before he could respond the ever-obsequious Duchess cut in, "Your Highness, I agree with the urgency you ascribe to this situation, but the Prince raises a valid concern. We should make use of his strategic ability to ensure that our attack is most effective and that we are prepared for any repercussions from High Norland and Strangia."

"I suppose so," Roland answered, still frowning. "In that case, Prince, I assign you a task force of the Duchess of Folding and the Earl of Mont in helping you ascertain the particulars of our current situation with High Norland."

"Thank You," Justin responded, rising and bowing to bring the meeting to an end. "I will also require the service of the Count of Catterack," he added just before leaving the room to prevent any further argument on that point.

Justin returned to his chambers and sighed. Many long days and sleepless nights lay ahead. At least for now he had managed to buy himself some time.


	10. In Which Plans are Announced

A/N: Now we're finally starting to get somewhere! The set up took longer than I had expected but things should really start rolling with the next one!

Thanks for the comments! :) If you're up for commenting, please provide honest/critical feedback on some of the larger dialogues I've added into this chapter. I'm kind of on the fence about the Sophie/Howl and Calcifer/Howl interactions. Too forced? Constructive criticism is welcome.

And for a bit of self-advertisement: Check out my new story "Beyond the Moving Castle: Interludes." That will be where I publish short side stories that occur to me as I'm working on this one, which don't tie in directly with this story. Suggestions are welcome :)

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Chapter 10: In Which Plans are Announced and Executed

The morning after Howl and Sophie's return from Kingsbury, Howl announced the plans to move the mansion entrance and restructure the castle to Calcifer and Michael. Calcifer hissed at him, complaining loudly about the amount of work it would be, especially after, without being asked to do it, he had already made a spell that kept the castle moving between the current entrances when he was gone. Howl expressed his gratitude impatiently: after all, he didn't want to move closer to Kingsbury either, but he had been left with no other choice.

"I'm partially to blame," Sophie admitted. "You see, I want to apply to the Prince's university, so I requested that we move one of the entrances closer to Kingsbury."

Michael was so stunned words escaped him, and even Calcifer was disheartened.

"You're leaving?" Michael asked when he could finally speak again.

Sophie sighed, having expected this reaction and knowing she would meet it again when she told Fanny and Martha.

"It seems like a good opportunity to learn new things," she replied. Then turning to Calcifer, she said, "But this is why I asked to move one of the entrances, so I can come back easily and often, and so that you can come visit me as well."

Calcifer was in a difficult spot now. He eagerly wanted to see the world and so couldn't deny the same the same right to Sophie or anyone else. At the same time, he had assumed that these humans he had grown fond of would always be here for him to come back to until they reached their own ends. It was a hard realization to come to. He only wondered how Howl was handling it. Having been the warden of his heart for a few years, Calcifer guessed the delicate little thing was probably heavy as lead with sorrow.

"Of course, Sophie," he said at last.

Howl, anxious to end this sad little scene as quickly as possible, rolled his eyes and cut in dryly, "When Sophie asks, it's, 'Of course, Sophie,' without another word, but when I even suggest anything, you give me a long tirade about all the work you've been doing! Really, Calcifer! This is too much!" Calcifer glared at him.

But it worked in breaking the tension. Even Michael, by this time, had been able to resolve some of his conflicting feelings and acknowledge that the same conclusions he had reluctantly accepted when they concerned Calcifer's leaving naturally must apply to Sophie as well.

Seeing the color come back into his apprentice a little, Howl asked, "Do you want to move back to Porthaven, Michael? That isn't too far from Kingsbury."

Michael shrugged. "I was never particularly attached to it," he admitted. "Why not move back to Kingsbury itself?"

Expecting this line of interrogation, Howl was prepared with his best mask. Nonchalantly, he replied, "The King, the Prince, and Wizard Suliman ominously threatened to make me a sort of advisor to the Royal Wizard. Naturally, I can't be _too_ available for consultation."

"But, Howl –"

Howl should have known better than to think Michael would accept that selfish excuse. "Come now, Michael, half the fun of going to university is being away from the people and places you know. A little space is good for growth, you know. We can still be close to Sophie without being in Kingsbury itself." His words rang hollow because, much as he knew they were true, he didn't want to believe them himself.

Sophie was impressed by how well Howl was taking all of this. Seeing they were all coming up a little dry, she offered a suggestion, "How about the town of Four Crossings? I think it's a little closer to Kingsbury than Porthaven." She had been thinking about Jane Farrier and Four Crossings was the largest town in the County of Catterack.

None of them had any other suggestions so it was decided. Howl, Michael, and Sophie, set to work preparing the castle rooms for moving one of the entrances. Calcifer, still annoyed that they were making all these changes to the castle in the first place, burnt some logs in the fireplace and refused to help anyone. When Sophie had a chance, she escaped to Vale Folding to announce her plans to Fanny.

Fanny was a little preoccupied when Sophie came to visit because Mr. Smith was supposed to return that day or the next and she was hosting a get-together. Still, Sophie was able to get her attention long enough to explain about the university, as Fanny had been distracted when the Prince had discussed it earlier. Fanny was easily won over. Sophie was free to do as she pleased, and the fact that she had decided to study at the advanced school the Prince was going to open gave Fanny something to brag about to her rich friends. Sophie might even meet some wealthy courtier and get a place a court, which sounded much better than living with a wizard.

"Why, love, this is a fantastic idea!" she said, cutting into Sophie's explanation. "Yes, yes, you must apply, my love! I'm sure you'll get in, you're so smart and this recent assistance to His Majesty, too!" Then she tried to rush Sophie off because she needed to prepare for the celebration.

Sophie stopped her again to tell her about moving the castle entrance, but Fanny was hardly listening.

"Of course, you'll have to move to Kingsbury, dear, I know that! And you'll be with Lettie too, I'm sure Lettie will be thrilled! That old mansion? Sacheverell and I were going to sell it anyway, so it's no trouble at all!" and practically pushed Sophie out the door.

Sophie was hurt that Fanny didn't seem to really care what she was doing or why but shrugged it off. She took this easily-won sanction in stride because she knew her conversation with Martha wouldn't go as smoothly.

When she returned to the castle, Howl and Michael had just finished writing chalk signs all over the castle room and the bathroom. Michael was placing metal brackets around the room, but kept being called upstairs by Howl as they worked on making chalk signs in those two rooms. Calcifer was complaining loudly the entire time about why they felt the need to change the structure of the castle anyway.

"A whole lot of wasted effort," he was muttering in between curses and other malevolent fancies that they would make a mistake.

Finding Howl, Sophie asked if he wanted help with anything. He led her to the castle's yard. From there, he opened a window into the actual house and asked her to measure the dimensions of all the rooms.

Howl pondered over the rough floor plans she presented of the house next to the hat shop, trying to work out the best way to connect the additional rooms to the castle.

"The broom closet opens on this alcove and the alcove connects to the shop, so the stairs to upstairs are on this side of the alcove… If we get rid of the broom closet we can access the upstairs…"

Sophie interrupted, "Howl, I've never really understood since we moved. Michael said the inside of the castle was your old house in Porthaven."

"Yes," Howl replied absently before continuing to mutter to himself. "There's also this pantry and kitchen on the other side of the living room…"

"But I thought you sold your house in Porthaven?"

"Yes… I don't want to knock down all the walls of the castle room but it seems there's no other way…"

Sophie sighed and decided to go ask Calcifer instead.

"It _is_ the inside of his old house in Porthaven. When we made the castle we had to have something as a basis, but gradually as we added and changed entrances, we had to start separating the actual house from the castle."

"So the castle now is something you and Howl created? It's not real?"

Calcifer shook his head, "Yes and no. The floorboards are still from the house in Porthaven but we built the structures that keep it all together. A normal house could never withstand moving around the way the castle does."

Before she could ask more questions, Howl came running through the broom cupboard waving the diagram she had made.

"Sophie! I don't understand. If these stairs connect here and this bedroom is above the living room and the rest of the hall goes back towards the shop, then what's above the kitchen?"

The rest of the afternoon and the next morning were spent reviewing the structure of the house with Howl and trying to figure out the best way to incorporate it into the moving castle, given the existing bedrooms that had been carried forward from Porthaven. Howl was fully absorbed in the work and it was clear that he was putting off anything related to the new entrance in Four Crossings as he didn't want to address anything related to Kingsbury. Given the circumstances, she couldn't entirely blame him for that.

When they finished one task, there was always another to do, and Sophie began to understand why Calcifer had initially rejected the plan. They spent the next several days finishing the preparations before Howl and Calcifer could cast the spell.

Towards the end of the week, a notice arrived from the capital for Howl. He shrugged his shoulders and grimly accepted it from the attendant who had delivered it, paying the man a gold piece for his troubles of traveling all the way to Market Chipping.

"What does it say?" Michael asked.

Sophie, who had been minding the flower shop, had seen the exchange between Howl and the attendant through the shop window and stepped into the castle room just as Howl was about to answer Michael's question.

"It's from the King. He's asked Suliman for help with a major spell for the army and is certain that my services will be needed as well. The project must be completed in the next three months, and he'd like to speak with me about the details."

"Did you give the attendant a message to return to the King of when he could expect you?" Sophie asked.

"No, Mrs. Nose, I did not. Don't you think I can handle my own business?"

Sophie rolled her eyes but said nothing and returned to the shop while Howl shouted some orders to Michael about more chalk signs and metal brackets that were needed upstairs.

Later that evening, after they had paused their work on the castle for the night and eaten dinner, Howl sat down in the rocking chair next to Calcifer. Michael had gone to talk with Martha. Just as Howl threw a log on the fire and leaned back in the chair, Sophie walked past him, carrying a broom and a bucket towards the stairs and said quickly, without turning,

"Howl, I want to write a letter to Lettie so I'm cleaning your room so I can use your desk."

Before Howl could stop her she was already up the stairs.

He magically moved himself to the top of the landing to block her entry.

"No. Fanny and Mrs. Fairfax already have done a number on my room. I can't have you moving things around there too. I'll never find anything!"

"Well, I'll do my best to put things back where they belong, but really you can't live like this."

"Why can't you just write your letter at the bench down stairs?"

"Because you and Calcifer will be talking the whole time and I'll never actually finish it. Besides, you'll be much happier when that room is nice and clean."

"No. _You'll_ be much happier, but _I_ will miss my spiders."

"Really, Howl! How can you expect anyone to _want_ to live with you when you insist on living like that?" Sophie replied angrily, waving the broom towards his bedroom.

Howl glowered, but merely said, "Fine. If you want to take on all that work, be my guest. Though I daresay evening is hardly the best time to take on _that_ project."

Sophie walked past him and made no reply, and Howl stormed downstairs, resuming his post in the rocking chair.

Calcifer cackled at Howl's quick defeat, particularly since Howl so prided himself on keeping his room just as he liked it.

"While you're so busy laughing at my misfortunes, I'd like to remind you that we still need to find a place in Four Crossings to move the castle entrance to," Howl snapped irritably.

Calcifer sobered up at the thought of moving the castle entrance. "I don't see how that's _my_ concern," he retorted.

"Well, perhaps you could make a trip out there and find a place for us. Especially since you like travelling so much," Howl answered with sarcasm in his voice.

"Or I could stay here and watch you lose arguments to Sophie," Calcifer mocked gleefully.

Howl gritted his teeth and replied, "For someone that was just itching to get back to his travelling the other day, you might want to note that the sooner we move the entrance and finalize adjustments to the castle, the sooner you can return to your travels."

Again, Calcifer sobered at the thought.

"Well, I'll see what I feel like doing in the morning," he replied lightly, evading Howl's gaze.

Howl rolled his eyes but said nothing more. Eventually, Calcifer told him about the things he had seen in the Waste, though really there was so little out there that they started talking more instead about the places Calcifer wanted to go.

"I've read that there are still magical creatures in High Norland and Strangia," Howl told him. This started Howl racing up and down the stairs looking for different books to share the details with Calcifer.

The next couple days were spent in much the same way. Calcifer left early in the mornings for Four Crossings, and Howl, Michael, and Sophie took turns minding the flower shop and preparing the castle for the upcoming changes. When Calcifer returned in the evening, Howl and Calcifer bickered about who had been more productive during the day but eventually settled down, and Howl read aloud about mystical creatures; sometimes Michael joined them. Sophie, meanwhile, satisfied her obsessive need to clean Howl's room, really a need just like Howl's to do something that allowed her some time to herself and to forget about the other issues on her mind. Deep down, Howl could see that was the case, which was why he tolerated it. They had a mutual, unstated understanding that both of them were, for now, ignoring some of the more weighty issues at hand.

Each morning, the room looked better and even Howl couldn't deny that, though there was little Sophie could do for his filthy carpet, as vacuum cleaners and electricity didn't exist in Ingary. Taking pity on her and – he'd never admit it – as a thank you, Howl removed the carpet one morning, magically replacing it with a fine hard wood floor. Sophie was so happy she put her arms around him and would've kissed him, but Michael came in just then, hearing the commotion.

Later that afternoon, Calcifer returned early from Four Crossings with news that he had found an abandoned tanner's shop which seemed promising.

"It looks like the shop burnt down years ago, but the shed and workroom are still in decent condition."

Howl considered. He had always thought of taking on more students, and between that and the additional business he would get in Four Crossings, he was certain to have a nice distraction from anything related to Kinsgbury. _Besides_, he thought grimly, _I still have to answer the King. There isn't too much longer that I can avoid responding to him._ He decided to leave for a few days to examine the shop and stop by the capital, though of course he never admitted to the latter much as Sophie tried to pin him to it.

During this time, Sophie was finally able to speak with Martha and write to Lettie about her plan of attending the university in Kingsbury when it opened, if she was accepted. Martha was initially saddened by the news not only because she would miss Sophie but also because it seemed of their family, she was the only one left in Market Chipping. She took comfort in knowing that with the moving castle, they could see each other at least more frequently than if they had truly been as far apart as Kingsbury and Market Chipping. And deep down, Martha knew well that this was the best thing for Sophie, who had always wanted to keep learning. Martha was glad that Sophie was able to make such a bold decision, considering how little self-worth she had possessed previously – even as recently as this past May Day when she had resigned herself to life at the hat shop.

It really did amaze Martha how much Sophie had changed in that respect in these few short months. Through talking with Sophie more about the Witch's curse and everything that had happened to her since she left the hat shop, Martha realized that though the curse had been Sophie's initial motivation to take direction over her life, being with Howl seemed to force her to stick with that resolve. Within the confines of their family, Martha could see how easy it was for Sophie to fall into the role she had always had, where she took care of others and put herself after everyone else. With Howl, though, Martha saw Sophie feeling comfortable with declaring her wishes and being – at least in some cases – more honest with her feelings.

Lettie could barely contain her delight in the letter she wrote in response. She had decided to move to Kingsbury to study sorcery with Wizard Suliman before Lammas Day, and the thought that Sophie would join her made the plan even more appealing.

"Even if the university doesn't open for some months to come," Lettie wrote, "I'm sure there is much for you to do in Kingsbury in the interim. The King's library would always be available, and there must be many great teachers of sorcery who would take you on as a student, if that's your interest. Surely, you could learn more than if you stayed in Market Chipping or the Moving Castle. There can't be much tying you to either place."

Sophie put down the letter with a heavy heart. Lettie was bringing up _that_ subject again. Surely, Lettie's proposition was a fair one, and Sophie could even take up part time work with a tailor or at a hat shop in the capital to support herself until the university opened. But how to justify _not_ wanting to do that?

"I have to at least give Howl a chance," was her reply, after considering Lettie's letter for a few days. "I'll join you in Kingsbury once the university opens and if I am accepted."

Martha's answer, when Sophie mentioned Lettie's letter, was more straightforward, "You don't have to justify yourself to her. Or anyone, really. Besides, you're not giving up on this entirely just to be with Howl. You'll still be giving yourself the chance to study and learn more about yourself, but until the school opens you want to at least develop the relationships you have currently. That's not so unreasonable."


End file.
